Matrimony
by millertime1985
Summary: Ch1. When their happy day is disrupted, and 'family' injured, what will Callen do to protect those he loves Ch2. Returning from honeymoon brings some changes. 8th in my Sacrifice series
1. Chapter 1

Notes: Thanks for taking the time to look over my story.

This is the latest of my stories based in my "Sacrifice" series.

I would also like to thank everyone who has left comments, reviews, comments or favourite any of my stories/chapters, they have been greatly appreciated, as has that fact that you have chosen to read any of my fics.

I hope you enjoy it.

I do NOT own NCIS:Los Angeles or any of its Characters. I'm just borrowing them

* * *

><p>"…since Mrs Hanna is CIA, they have insisted on being part the investigation"<p>

"Fine. But we have the lead. Who do we have safe guarding Nell, Her family and the kids?" Callen enquired

….

**24 Hours Ago:**

"Just think, this time tomorrow you could be Mrs Nell Callen" Rachael said to her sister

"I know. Greg suggested that maybe I'd want to keep my own surname"

"You should. You don't want to live with a name like Callen" Madeline Jones, interrupted

Despite claiming that she supported Nell and her choices, Madeline had been acting the opposite of supportive ever since Nell had told her parents that her engagement to Callen was back on. Her father had tried, unsuccessfully, to reign in his wife.

Nell had stated to wonder whether she actually wanted her mother to be in attendance for the ceremony. The only reason she had even agreed to allow her mother to be part of her ceremony, was because she was family, and Family was important to both herself, and her soon to be husband.

….

"You can't carry a gun to a wedding!"

"Why not? You and Callen are going to be!" Michelle complained to her husband

"Because you can't hide a gun under your dress. Me and G, we can hide ours under our suit jackets"

….

**2 Hours Ago**

"This almost reminds me of our wedding. Minus the kids, and friends…" Deeks started

"You look as handsome today as you did on our day" Kensi replied before kissing her husband

"That… that was fantastic. How about we just skip the wedding and go home, and have a fun time?" he suggested

Kensi punched Deeks' arm

"Down boy. Behave for a few more hours, and I'll take you home and let you have fun with what I'm not wearing under this" Kensi said, gesturing to her dress

….

**1 Hour Ago**

[…]

"Love you too. I'll see you at the alter" Nell replied, before ending the call and slipping her cell into her bag

"You ready to go, Auntie Nell?" Zoe asked as she walked up to her 'Aunt'

"I am. You look very pretty today" she replied, as they started walking out of the suite and down to the car

….

The two cars pulled away from the hotel. Nell, her Sister, Mother, and Zoe in the bridal car. With Nells father, Michelle, Deeks and Kensi travelling in the other car.

"You know, it's not to late to back out of this whole marriage" Madeline urged her daughter

"I'm marrying him. If you're not going to accept that, I'll ask the driver to pull over and you can out!" She instructed her mother, having finally given up on being calm with her mother.

Both cars pulled to a stop at a set of lights, while a van sped past the bridal car and through the lights with its sliding side door open, and a man hanging out.

….

"Mr Callen. This was just dropped of by a bike messenger for you" the elderly Church minister said, handing over the padded envelope

Callen thanked him, opened the envelope, and removed its contents… a picture, and a small note

The picture was of Nell wearing what looked like a tiara, surrounded by other women. Callen assumed it had been taken on her hen night. Unfolding the note, and reading it… his blood turned cold.

După cum ai ucis familia mea , eu acum omor a ta

Gheorge Comescu

(As you killed my family, I now kill yours)

He rushed outside, pulling his phone out and dialling it.

No answer. Why was there no answer. Sam rushed outside at Callens back, wondering what was wrong

Callen simply handed the note to Sam, while he tried redialling.

Finally someone answered

"Nell. Are you okay?"

[…]

"How bad?"

[…]

"We're coming now. Stay where you are"

Sam read the note that Callen had just thrust into his hands, as he dragged his former partner round to where Sam had parked the Challenger.

….

Getting out of the car, what greeted Sam and Callen could only be described as carnage. A mixture of ambulance, police and fire department vehicles were scattered about the scene, one limo had been flipped and the front end was smouldering after having had a fire put out. The other limo had been abandoned further back from the first car, with its occupants being questioned by police.

As soon as he had caught a glimpse of Nell's hair, Callen ran to her, ignoring the LAPD officers that tried to stop him…

"Are you okay? You're sure that you're not hurt!"

"I'm okay G" Nell started, trying to remain calm "But my Dad, Kensi, Deeks and Michelle were in the other car" she continued pointing at the overturned, smouldering limo

"This is because of you isn't it!" Madeline Jones screamed at Callen, as a pair of officers held her back, while her husband was carried into one of the ambulances

….

"…since Mrs Hanna is CIA, they have insisted on being part the investigation" Hetty replied

"Fine. But we have the lead. Who do we have safe guarding Nell, Her family and the kids?" Callen enquired

"Mr Morris and his team are on protection detail at the safe house, and Mr Nolan and his team are on protection detail at the hospital" Hetty explained, hoping this would help Callen relax

"So who do we have left, that's field trained, to work the investigation with me?"

"Not many I'm afraid. Assistant Director Granger has requested a team from San Diego to come assist, other than that, all we have available are Mr Cho and Ms Atkinson. Neither of which have any real world experience"

"Just great" Callen forced out, as he finished getting changed in the bullpen into less formal clothing from his Go Bag.

As soon as he finished changing he ran up to OPS, leaving Hetty standing in the bullpen

"Tell me you have something Eric!"

"I've fed what we know into Kaleidoscope, but nothing yet" The tech responded, sitting at the computer terminal, still wearing his own suit. "What about immigration?, anyone recently entered the country that we suspect may be associated with the Comescu family?"

"No one. Sorry Callen"

"Just… let me know if you find anything, and see if you can run whatever you get against Hunter's files about the Comescu family." Callen said over his shoulder as he walked back out of OPS

….

"you look pretty good for a dead guy" Callen heard a familiar voice say from behind him, as he reached where his car was parked

"...and there was me thinking you would have been shanked in prison, Tracy" he replied to his ex wife, as he unlocked the car door

Neither said anything further as they got in the car, and Callen started the engine before pulling out of the parking lot.

"Who told you?" Callen asked, never taking his eyes off the road

"Nell. She made the trip up to the prison to tell me in person that you were dead. The kid was devastated" Tracy explained "So what's the deal with this Comescu guy?"

"Same as usual… Romanian nut job from a family of nut jobs who want to kill me because of a blood feud from decades ago. Honestly thought that I had seen the last of them"

"Yeah, 'usual'!. Why not attack you then? Why attack your friends?"

"The note said, roughly translated, that he would kill my family as I killed his. We've had enough encounters with them for them to know my friends are my family. He'll want to make sure I live long enough to see anyone I care about, dead, before he comes for me"

….

"Anyone tried to get in that shouldn't?"

"Nah No one. Tell me that you know who's responsible for this?" Agent Nolan asked

"We know who, just not where the bastard's hiding" Callen explained

"When you find out, you make sure and let us know, and we'll have your back!"

Callen thanked the agent and lead Tracy into the hospital, not sure what state Sam would be in

….

"Thought you might want a change of clothes" Callen said, as he handed the Go bag over to Sam "How's Michelle?"

"She'll be okay. Only one with any real injury would be your father-in-law, with a broken wrist, everyone else got lucky and just got bumps and bruises"

"That's good at least. You call me as soon as everyone's able to be released, and I'll get Nolan to escort you all to the safe house"

"Like hell am I gonna let you hunt for this guy, while you lock me in a cage"

"Sam, I'm not locking you anywhere. But we need our family safe, and I need Agents to work the field. I can't have two teams watching the safe house. I need you, Nell, Kensi and Deeks to supplement the team at the safe house, so I have at least some field agents to work with me 'till Granger gets me some from San Diego"

"You're not my boss anymore G…" Sam started arguing

"No. I'm not. But Nell's family can't protect themselves, and the kids won't understand what's going on, so they're gonna need you or Michelle to help keep them calm. I'd feel a lot better having up to 11 agents there, covering inside and out, instead of just 6 covering the exterior."

Callen knew that Sam understood and accepted that what he was being told was best for everyone, even if he wasn't happy about it

….

"Are you ever going to tell me how you survived?" Tracy enquired, as Callen drove them back to OSP

"Only a handful of people in the country know the whole story about how I survived" He replied, briefly glancing over at her "The truth is that I almost didn't survive. I ran out of time, the bomb went off, just as it was meant to. Next thing I knew was agonising pain, I found myself almost completely buried in the brick and stone, steel rods were piercing into one of my arms. Eventually I managed to free my arms from the rubble and then started trying to shift the rubble that was crushing my leg before anything else fell on top of me. Once night fell, I basically had to crawl my way out of that town, as I had one broken leg, and nothing to use as a crutch to let me move quicker. I was in so much pain that I was wishing I could just die. I had no water and must have lay on the ground for god knows how long, before these locals found me and threw me in the back of their car.

When I woke up I was still in agony, but my wounds had been dressed, my leg had been secured to a pair of wood planks. I was fed and given water. I had no idea what anyone was saying, but they weren't trying to question me, or torture me. Even so, every few days I would drag myself out of the village in the middle of the night, wouldn't get too far before being found and taken back. Eventually they resorted to strapping me down when there wasn't anyone to watch me"

"How long for?"

"Every night for almost 3 months. They stopped when I was fit to walk…"

….

"…and you're okay?"

"I promise you sweetie, just a broken wrist. Nothing that wont heal" Daryl Jones replied, trying to put his daughter at ease

"**Just** a broken wrist. This is all that Callens fault. If it wasn't for him…" Madeline started

"Oh, give it a rest Madeline. We all know what your opinion is" Daryl interrupted his wife, leaving her speechless

….

"Why did Nolan and his guys take off?" Kensi asked

"Because G needs field agents to work the investigation. And he says there are more than enough trained agents in this building to protect everyone and back up Morris and co" Sam explained, as he unzipped the bag he had carried in with him, revealing a number of handguns and plenty of extra magazines

"I hate it when he's right" Nell offered

"Don't worry. That all ends once you're married. Isn't that right dear" Michelle added, before turning her focus back to her husband

….

[…]

"Okay, Eric. Give Nolan one of the addresses, give us the other"

[…]

….

"We gonna have any tactical support?"

"Why do you think I brought you with me!. I've got enough weapons in the trunk to send up a red flag to the ATF, So I think we'll be okay" Callen replied

"Nice to see you're still as crazy as ever"

….

"FUCK!" Callen shouted out as he punched the wall

"for god sake, calm down will you. How were you meant to know that this place would be clean... Figuratively" Tracy urged her former partner

Hearing his phone ring, Callen pulled it out and answered it

"What've you got Eric?"

[…]

"Tell him not to touch anything, I'll be there in 20 minutes"

Callen dropped his phone back in his pocket and started running back out to the car, Tracy followed him without asking anything

….

"How long's it been ringing?" Callen asked, pointing at the phone

"at least as long we got here" one of Nolan's guys said

Callen pulled on a rubber glove, walked over to it, lifted it and answered it

"Da?" (Yes?)

[…]

"Ma voi preda la tine , cu condiția sunteți de acord să nu meargă după prietenii mei" (I'll turn myself over to you, provided you agree not to go after my friends)

Callen could see Tracy talking to someone on her own phone, but was too focused on his call to try listening to whatever she may be saying

[…]

"Spune-mi unde vrei să fie . Nu voi aduce arme" (Tell me where you want me to be. I'll not bring any weapons)

[…]

"Voi fi acolo" (I'll be there)

"Who was it?" Tracy asked, stuffing her phone back in a pocket

"Would you believe it was a wrong number" Callen replied, before dropping the phone on the ground and stamping on it, breaking it into several pieces

"Head back to safe-house, Back-up Morris and his guys. You don't let **anyone** leave that building unless you hear otherwise from me, right!" Callen instructed Agent Nolan

….

"What was that back there?" Tracy asked as Callen pulled out of the motel parking lot

"No idea what you mean"

"Don't give me that shit. You destroyed evidence. I always thought you were too much of a boy scout to do that"

"Give me a break. Sometimes needs must" Callen explained

"Uh huh.. and the foreign lingo!. What have you got yourself into?"

"I need to make a quick stop before we go back to the office"

….

"You gonna tell what's going on? You can trust me, you know"

"Yeah, I know Trace" Callen said as he walked down the path to the house

"Holy shit. This place looks a lot better than it did before" Tracy exclaimed as she followed Callen into the house, seeing it fully decorated

"Yeah. It's definitely an improvement. Take a seat, I'll be right back" Callen replied as he disappeared into Nell's home office

Reappearing a few minutes later,

"Do me a favour. Give this to Nell when you see her" Callen asked, as he handed an envelope to Tracy

"You'll see her before I do, Callen"

"Yeah… did you see the picture on the mantle?" Callen replied, as he guided Tracy in front of him, before he reached round her and wrapped his arm round her neck, putting her in a sleeper hold. Holding just long enough to knock her out

Callen put his cell phone and service weapon on the table, and walked out of the house, closing the door behind him

….

Nell glanced out of the safe-house window, wondering why the extra agents had arrived

"What the hell's going on?" Sam said from behind her "I thought G called Nolan off, so he had field agents." He continued before heading to the door.

….

"Look, I respect you and all… but I've got orders, Sam" Nolan replied

"Why'd he send you back?" Sam asked, trying to walk past Nolan, before Nolan pushed Sam back inside

"Don't try that that again, Sam. You're not the only ex SEAL here. I've got very specific orders, and I will follow them .letter."

….

**30 Minutes later**

"What you doing here?" Sam asked as he saw Morris guide Tracy into the safe-house

"We've not got times to play games Sammy. Callen's gone off the reservation" Tracy responded, as he pulled out the envelope Callen had asked her to give to Nell

Nell read the letter, getting more stressed as she read each sentence

"Tracy's right. We need to move, and quick"

….

"I don't have time to argue with you mom." Nell replied, not actually caring about what her mother had to say any longer, as she walked over to Zoe. "Can I borrow your tablet for a little while, I promise I'll give it back to you" she asked

Zoe handed over the tablet that her dad had brought from home to keep her and Zach amused.

"No. Morris, your guys need to stay here and protect them" Sam said, indicating to the non agents still inside the house

"You got it. But if you need us, just say the word and we'll be there"

"Come on, we've got to get a move on!" Sam heard Nell say as she rushed past him, still in her wedding dress, to the van

….

"Where does the tracker on the car say he is?" Nell said, into the phone

[…]

"Is there any street cams in the area that you can check?"

[…]

"Right. Can you give me an access point to the system, so I can check the other tracker"

[…]

"Thanks" Nell dropped the Cell phone and started tapping on the tablet

….

"I'm here!, Sunt aici" Callen called, walking into the yard

He knew that his friends would be seriously pissed at him for what he was about to do, and Nell would most likely be furious. But he could live with that, for however brief a time he had left, so long as they would remain unharmed.

He felt considerable guilt for having unintentionally put them in danger. He had become so used to living a 'normal' life, that he just had forgotten all about the risk of any remaining Comescu family members, or 'employees'

"You can stop butchering my native tongue" a voice called from the other end of the yard, in a thick accent

Four men appeared from the shadows, two of which had their guns trained on Callen, while the other two approached him and started patting him down for any weapons

"E curat" (He's clean) one of the men called, before pulling a taser out and sticking it to Callens neck, knocking him unconscious

….

"Welcome back to the land of the living, albeit temporarily, Mr Callen" Ghorge said as he saw Callen twitch back into consciousness

"Why don't you just kill me. Get it over with. Then you can fuck off back to the Black Sea" Callen said, intentionally trying to enrage his captor

"I will kill you. But very, very slowly. We are going to bleed you dry, So I can savour every moment"

….

"you sure you want to do this Nell?" Kensi asked, as she watched her partner put a earpiece in.

"I'm sure. Just… wait for my signal before you move in"

"You sure you don't wanna take a weapon?, just in case" Sam enquired, pushing a Handgun towards her

"I have a little something Hetty gave me, for just such an occasion" Nell responded, as she climbed out of the van, quietly closing the door behind her

….

Nell walked into the room, being guided by the two men carrying semi-automatics.

"Era afară, încercarea de a obține în" (She was outside, trying to get in) one of the men explained to his boss

"How did you find us Mrs Callen?. That's right, you're not Mrs Callen yet are you"

"I have my ways. If you're set on killing him, I just want the chance to say good bye. Is that too much to ask?" Nell replied, purposefully avoiding the comment about not being Mrs Callen, setting aside her anger for a more appropriate time

Gheorge looked at her, considering her request

….

Nell was again 'guided' through the building into one of the back rooms, where she found Callen chained up

As soon as she had been let go, she rushed over to where Callen stood.

She lifted her hands, cupping his face with them.

"Why do you keep doing this?. Why do you keep running off and putting yourself in harms way for me, or the others?"

"Because they are my family, and you… you're the person in this world, that's most precious to me. I'd face down any threat, if it meant you'd remain unharmed"

Nell stood up on her toes, and placed a brief tender kiss on Callens lips

"How did you even find me? I dumped the car, I left my cell at home…"

"I .. have my ways" Nell explained cryptically, as she subtly reached into the hidden pocket in her dress and gripped the Derringer that Hetty had insisted she carry with her 'just in case'.

"Do you remember the name of the aircraft carrier?" She asked

Callen looked down at her, wondering what she was doing

"Aircraft carrier?"

"Yeah. Where you were assigned" Nell added, looking over her shoulder at the two armed men "The **Seahawk**!" Nell said, placing the emphasis on Seahawk, giving the signal to her colleagues.

….

"What did you do!" Gheorge screamed as he rushed through the door way, retreating from the arms fire that came from the main room in the building

"Nell took advantage of the situation, pulled the four shot Derringer from her pocket, aimed and fire one shot at each of the armed mens necks, before re aiming at Gheorge who stood with only a knife in one of his hands.

Nell held the gun tightly in her hand, considering her next move. Keeping it aimed at the man that had ruined her wedding day, hurt her friends and her family.

Callens started trying to calm his fiancé. "Don't do anything you will regret, Nell"

"I won't regret it G. If his family have a problem with you, then they have a problem with me. This man ruined our wedding day, and more importantly tried to kill **our** friends and **our** family" she explained before quickly firing a round into one of Ghoerge's thighs, sending him staggering in pain to the wall, as the gunshot would started bleeding heavily

Nell walked over towards him, aiming the small handgun towards Gheorge's Head.

The gun fire had ended, and through the door way filed Sam, Kensi, Deeks, Tracy, Michelle and Nolan and his team, with each of them aiming their own weapon at Gheorge

….

"Such a shame about your dress my dear. You really couldn't have changed into a pair of jeans?"

"It's just blood, Hetty. It'll wash out" Nell assured the aging spy

"Drop it in to wardrobe, they'll have it properly cleaned"

Nell Leaned down, pulling Hetty into a Hug

When she pulled back, she handed the Derringer back to its owner

"It was a good thing you took my advice" Hetty responded "Now, how did you explain your being able to find him?" she added, curiously

"I told him I have my ways" Nell explained "I suppose I'll have to tell him about the tracker in his watch, now"

"I already knew" Callen said, walking into Hetty's office

Nell and Hetty both looked at him, both wondering how he could have known

"Do you care about getting married in a church?" He asked, pulling Nell from thoughts about how he knew she had tracked him

"I don't care if I get married in a sewer, so long as you're the one at my side"

"Well in that case. We have a wedding to get to." He said, guiding his fiancé and Hetty out to the parking lot

….

**The Following Day**

"…By the Power Vested in me, by the State of Nevada. I pronounce you Man and wife. You may now kiss the bride"

Nell and Callen kissed one another, to the cheers of **their** family.

"What do you want to do now Mrs Callen?"

"Lets have a Family brunch, and go home Mr Callen" Nell replied, as she led her husband and family out of the chapel, and back to the van, requesting that Sam pull in at the first Diner.

….

A few hours into the drive back to Los Angeles from Las Vegas, Hetty moved forward to sit besides the Newly Weds, wishing to give them the good news now, rather than wait

"Assistant Director Granger just called, wishing me to let you both know that you did a good job yesterday. And that the questioning of Gheorge Comescu has led to a taskforce being formed to hunt down any remaining Comescus and dismantle their organisation. You're now able to live your lives without having to constantly be looking over your shoulder, in fear of them seeking to harm you"

They both thanked Hetty for the news, and returned to resting, Callen wrapping a protective arm around Nell.

"I still think she should have kept 'Jones' as her surname" Hetty heard Madeline say at the back of the van.

Hetty shuffled to the back of the van, asking Daryl Jones, to move forward so that she could have a word with his wife.

Hetty leaned over, and whispered something into Madeline's ear. Something that quickly had her shutting up.

"I don't suppose you could tell me how you did that" Daryl asked

"I could. But then I'd have to kill you" Hetty explained, as she moved forward back to her own seat

….

"Sorry about knocking you out, but it was for the greater good" Callen said, apologising to his ex wife

"Yeah, well… just as well that you suck at it. But honestly… I'm happy for you Callen"

"Thanks. Maybe next time, we can work together when there isn't someone trying to kill me or harm my family"

Tracy started to walk off, pulling her phone out, so she could report in

"Hey" Callen started, calling after her "You're family too… Not close family, but still family"

"For a man with no family, you sure have a lot of family" Sam said, walking up from behind Callen

"Best family a man could ask for. You heading home?"

"Yeah. Think we could all use some sleep, kids especially"

"I know it doesn't need to be said, but thanks Sam"

"It's what we do" Sam said, knowing nothing else needed to be said between them

….

"It's been something… unique" Rachael started "I'm really happy for you Nell"

Nell wrapped her arms round her sister, thanking her for being there

When the two sisters separated, Daryl walked over to Nell, wanting to speak to her before they went back to their hotel

"I'm so sorry about your arm, dad" Nell began, before her father interrupted

"It's not your fault, Nell. I'm just glad that you got there in the end. You've got yourself a good one there. I know he'll look out for you, love you, and make you happy. What more could a father ask for" Daryl kissed his daughters forehead, and stepped aside to let his wife say her piece

Madeline stepped loser to her daughter, fully aware of her husband and her daughters boss glaring at her

"It was a very nice ceremony. I'm very happy for you" Madeline forced out, knowing that her daughter wouldn't accept her badmouthing her husband anymore, and that her husband wouldn't tolerate it either.

"I know he isn't who you would have picked for me, Mom. But I love him, and that's not gonna change. I still love you though" Nell replied as she gave her mother a quick hug

….

When they got home, Callen unlocked and opened the front door, before turning to face his new bride

"I believe there is a tradition to uphold, Mrs Callen!" He said, seconds before sweeping Nell up into his arms, so he could carry her across the threshold.

"I'm sorry that things didn't exactly work out as we had hoped…" Callen started, as he placed Nell back down.

"Don't….I didn't need a limo, a white dress, a horse drawn carriage or a church… I just needed you, me and our family. That's what I wanted, that's what I got. And best of all we don't have to worry about there being a target on your back" Nell said, interrupting him and cupping the side of his face in her hand

"What would I do without you?"

"You'll never have find out again" Nell replied, before kissing him and leading him through into their bedroom


	2. Chapter 2

Notes: This is a little more 'case' centric, and is less centred on Callen and Nell, together... but it is laying groundwork for my next fic (set at Christmas)

* * *

><p>Callen rolled onto his back, trying to catch his breath, still not believing how he had landed up here.<p>

"If that hadn't felt so good, I would accuse you of trying to kill me"

"I can kill two birds with one stone" Nell joked, as she rolled over to rest her head on his chest.

….

"You have a very healthy glow about you. You bring something 'extra' back from your honeymoon"

Nell just smiled, and threw a pen at Deeks

….

"Marty wasn't wrong. You do look good" Kensi said, as they both walked out to the parking lot

"It was a great honeymoon. We almost called in sick"

"Uh huh. 'we'. He's a bad influence on you" Kensi joked

"So what happened while we were away?"

"Just the usual… worked a couple of cases, Marty tried to get Hetty to take a turn on the mechanical bull,.. oh yeah, and my mom asked Marty when we were going to give her a grandchild…."

"…and… What did he say?"

….

"So what experience do you have?" Callen asked his new partner

The young woman in front of him, couldn't be much older than 25 or 26, was slightly shorter than him, and didn't seem to lack confidence. Perhaps even being over confident

"Well, I went through FLETC, graduated with high marks…"

"I mean what practical experience do you have. You must have something to have been assigned to OSP. What were you? FBI? DEA? ATF?"

"None of them, Sir"

"First off, don't call me Sir… it's just Callen, unless I'm undercover … in which case you refer to me by my Legend. Secondly, wait right here" Callen replied, before walking down the stairs to Hetty's office

….

"You can not be serious about having me train that kid. You can not teach undercover skills, like you would teach processing a crime scene. You and I both know, if I put that kid on the street, there's a good chance that one or both of us could end up dead. How did she even get assigned to OSP if she just graduated FLETC… I thought we needed agents with practical experience"

"I'm not asking you to train her, per say. I want you to assess her, check her trade craft… see if she has the makings of an undercover agent. If she does, then we can look at furthering her training"

"Hetty… I can tell you right now, that girl is not made for this job"

"You said the same about Kensi, when I first assigned her to you"

"Fine, I'll give the kid a chance. But if I come back to you, and tell you that she doesn't have what it takes…"

"…I will let the matter drop, Mr Callen. I give you my word"

….

"How many vehicles have been following us?"

"Sir… I mean Callen?"

"Without actively looking in your mirrors, how many vehicles have been following us?"

"Two?"

"Which ones, and for how long?" Callen asked, ignoring that the young agent sounded unsure

"The Grey Crown Vic for the last 4 miles, and the Silver Suburban for the last two or three blocks?"

"Which is it, Ruth? Two or three?"

"Three… I think"

Callen dialled a number, and lifted his cell to his ear

[…]

"Yeah, Eric… Can you call off Nolan and his guys. Tell him the first two rounds tonight are on me."

Ending the call, Callen returned his attention to his 'student'

"The Crown Vic **was** tailing you for four miles, the Suburban followed you for two blocks before turning off on East 47th, and then it followed you again from East Slauson for a further two blocks. What you missed was the UPS truck that has been following you for the last three blocks, and the Motorcycle that's been following us since we left the office"

"But you asked how many cars were following us"

"No… I Didn't. I asked how many **vehicles** had been following us. As far as you should be concerned, anything that has wheels or tracks, should be considered a vehicle. You should be passively watching your mirrors for any vehicle following you, no matter whether it's directly behind you or several cars behind you…"

*Phone ringing*

Callen paused, looking back at his cell.

"Да?" (Yes?)

[…]

Callen could see Ruth trying to work out what language he was speaking

"Дайте мне сорок минут . Ваше место ?" (Give me forty minutes. Your place?)

[…]

Once again Callen ended the call, and slid the phone back into his pocket

"Take us back to the office, quickly" he instructed "By the way, It was Russian. If you want to do well in this field… learn additional languages. The more, the better. If you're going to work in this area… You should learn at least Spanish"

….

Kensi, Nell and Deeks had been sat in the break room having their lunch for some time, when Callen's trainee walked in, and went straight for the coffee machine.

It didn't take a genius to see that she was pissed off about something, But the trio carried on eating their lunch and chatting.

After a few minutes they noticed that she had started muttering to herself. Deeks, being friendly, decided to ask if she was okay

"How's your first day treating you probie?"

"It would be fine, if my instructor wasn't being such an ass hole"

"In what way?" Deeks asked, curious

"He practically tore me a new one, because I didn't notice how many cars we had following us. You'd think he had never made a mistake, especially since he's so old" she spat out, bitterly

"I'm sure he wasn't **that** bad" Kensi said

"Who trained you?, maybe I could get Ms Lange to have me assigned to them" Ruth asked

"LAPD trained me, Nell was trained by a few different agents, and my beautiful wife, was trained by Agent Callen" Deeks replied

"You were trained by Callen!. So, is he always such a dick?" Ruth asked, directing her question at Kensi

"You have to understand, Callen's been doing this sort of work for most of his life. So he knows what skills you need, to survive in this kind of work. You just need to 'stick it out'. You'll appreciate what he's trying to teach you once you're on an assignment" Kensi offered, aware that Nell was starting to look irritated by the new girl's comments

"Yeah!, right" Ruth added, before getting up and walking out of the room

….

"It's good to see you old friend. I'm glad to see you alive, after the rumours that you had died" Arkady said, seeing Callen walk into his lounge

"So what's the deal? What did you want to speak to me about?"

"Straight to business. I need to call in that favour you owe me.

….

"Who've I to speak to?"

"Sergeant Duncan Smith. Take Ms Morrison with you, I'm sure it will do some good for her to gain some practical experience"

Knowing that there was no point arguing, Callen left Hetty's office to go speak to Eric, and find his trainee

….

"Can you run the name 'Sorin Rus', a Moldovan national, through immigration, let me know if he's entered the country in the last 14 days, and if he has… where he is"

"Sure. I'll let you know what I turn up" Eric replied

"If he's here, let Hetty know before you let me know. Discuss this with no one else"

Eric swivelled in his chair, to face Callen

"Can I get in trouble for this?" he asked just above a whisper

"No. It's all proper and above board. No one else needs to know, yet"

….

"Leave your badge in the car" Callen, instructed Ruth

"Why are we even here? Would this not fall under Marine CIDs Jurisdiction?"

"I don't believe so. After we speak to the Sergeant, we can re-assess that"

Callen started walking from the parking lot, into the diner, with Ruth following a few steps behind

Seeing who they were looking for, Callen walked over and sat down at the table, opposite the Corporal

"Sergeant Smith, I'm…"

"Special Agent Callen. I remember, Sir"

"This is Agent Morrison, She'll be observing. Have we met before?"

"Yes, Sir. My squad and I were assigned to work with you on an extraction several years ago"

Callen thought back to his time aboard the Seahawk

"from the Peleliu. I remember. What can we do for you?"

"Myself and some of my men were assigned to 'take out' a burned CIA asset who had intelligence that couldn't get out, almost four months ago. We were scrambled because we were already 'in country', our assigned Sniper took the shot, and we recovered the intel and verified the kill despite being unable to recover the body. A few weeks ago I received a call from Corporal Simms who said he had seen our target in San Diego, and was following him. The corporal was involved in an MVA before I could speak to him in detail. I passed along the information to CID and my superior, who passed the information to the CIA. CID and the CIA reported that it was impossible, and that Simms must have been mistaken. My CO is the one that suggested I talk to NCIS, when I wanted to challenge the outcome of the investigation into Simms death"

"What country?" Ruth asked, finally opening her mouth

"Sir?" Smith asked, looking to Callen to know whether to answer

Callen nodded

"Azerbaijan"

"Can you remember your targets name?" Callen asked

"Sorin Rus"

Callen was shocked at the mention of the man that Arkady had spoken to him about, but tried not to let it show

"Do you feel in any way at risk, and need protection?"

"I live on base, Sir. There's no where safer"

….

"Rich. It's Callen. I'm wondering if you would be able to tell me anything about a burned asset that was on the company's payroll" Callen said into the phone, while Ruth looked on

[…]

"Yeah I know. But it's to do with a case we're working"

[…]

"Sorin Rus?"

[…]

"Thanks. I'll wait to hear from you"

Putting his phone back in his pocket, Callen turned to his trainee

"Go on… ask"

"Why did he look to you before answering my question?, Is it because of my age?"

"We may have a security clearance, but that doesn't mean that we're always able to be given specifics about certain operations, especially if it's a black op, in a country where we're not meant to be"

"Yeah, if you say so" Ruth muttered under her breath, almost too quiet for Callen to hear

….

"Honey, I'm home" Callen called out, as he closed his front door behind him

"Perfect timing" Nell replied, as she walked through from the kitchen with a few take out containers

"Chinese?" Callen asked

Nell simply nodded

"How was work?"

"Tiring. Hetty assigned me a probie to assess…"

"Yeah, I met her" Nell said, interrupting

"She's like a petulant child. Doesn't like being told she's not doing something right" Callen said, opening the container

"She was in the break room, complaining about her 'old' ass hole of an instructor"

"Is that right?"

….

Nell lay in bed later that night, resting her head on Callen's chest, while she traced a finger over each of his scars

"You know I don't think your old, don't you?" Nell, asked out of the blue

"I know you don't" he replied "I told Hetty that the kid isn't made for this sort of work"

"What did she say to that?" Nell asked, lifting her head, to look at his face

"That I said the same about Kensi, when she was first assigned to me"

Before either of them could say anything else, Callen's phone started to ring

Reaching for it, he answered and lifted it to his ear

"Hey, Rich. What can I do for you?"

[…]

"Can you send me a copy of his jacket?"

[…]

"Thanks again"

Callen dropped the phone back on the bedside table, and jumped out of bed to start getting dressed

"Where are you going at this time?" Nell enquired

"Need to bring in Arkady. I've got a supposedly dead guy that was spotted up near Pendleton a few weeks ago, that I've just been told was a demolitions expert"

"Well you're not going alone at this time" Nell replied, as she too got up and started dressing

….

"You bring me a new woman. You shouldn't have, my friend"

"She's not here for you Arkady. She's here to back me up" Callen said

"Much more attractive than your usual partner." Arkady started, before turning his attention back to Nell "You want to be my next wife?"

Callen left the room to check that no one other than Arkady's security staff was on the premises.

"I'm already married, and I've heard all about what your ex wives had to endure" Nell replied

"Can your husband give you everything you want. I could give you whatever you want"

"My husband gives me **everything** I want, and need… He has a terrible temper when it comes to other men hitting on me though"

"Who is this man? I'm sure I'm better man than him"

Seeing Callen return to the kitchen, Nell decided to have a little fun…

"You've met my husband haven't you G!"

Callen knew she was up to something by the mischievous twinkle in her eye, but decided to play along

"Yeah. I know him very well" Callen replied, as he started making a phone call

"Maybe I'll let you meet him someday" Nell offered, satisfied by Arkady's reaction to the offer

….

*Door Knocking*

Hearing the door knocking woke Granger, reaching for his SIG, he slid out of bed and started moving to the front door.

Reaching the front door, he looked through the peep hole, being surprised by who was standing on the other side. Lowering his SIG, he opened the door

"This better be urgent, Callen"

"It is. I need you to get ready and come with me"

….

"What's this all about?" Granger asked as soon as he had pulled the car door closed

"You developed an asset named Sorin Rus?"

"Yeah, Over 20 years ago. He was able to provide us with intel from the USSR at the height of the cold war"

"I Spoke to a marine yesterday who reported a sighting of Rus a few weeks ago"

"What's this got to do with me, Callen?"

"I'm getting to that. He was reported as having being assassinated, by a squad of marines, including the man I spoke to. I'm lead to believe that he has already murdered one marine, and is targeting one of my informants"

"Kolchek?"

"Yeah. The CIA are adamant that Rus is dead, and won't discuss the matter any further. I'm hoping you can fill in some blank spots. The jacket that was sent over, is almost entirely redacted"

….

"You seriously expect me to guard a house!. I'm a Federal Agent, not a mall cop!"

"Just do as you're told" Callen urged

"Do you know who I am, Morrison?" Granger asked, walking into the room

"Yes, Sir. You're the Assistant Director" Ruth replied

"Then do what Agent Callen has told you to do"

Ruth said nothing and made no moves

"That's an order Agent Morrison!"

….

"Go watch the house. Don't let anyone in that's not permitted to be there!" Ruth said to herself, mimicking Callen's voice

Ruth sat in the car, already bored after only a few hours on duty, and pulled out her cell phone to order a blu ray from Amazon.

Distracted by a car trying to drive onto the premises, Ruth climbed out of the car and walked over to the car

"I'm here to drop something off for Mr Kolchek" the cars driver explained in a thick Russian accent

"Go on in" Ruth said, as she waved the car inside, wanting to get back to her shopping

….

"You sure you don't want me to get some agents to watch the place?" Callen asked as he pulled up outside Arkady's house

"No need. I am very secure for tonight" Arkady replied as he climbed out of the car

….

Callen was just about to pull out onto the road from Arkady's drive, when his phone rang

"Yeah Eric?"

"That guy you had me looking for, I've just had 2 sightings… both from Arcady's security system" Eric's voice said, over the speaker

"When?"

"A few hours ago, and then again about 10 minutes ago"

"I'm still here. Get me some agents out here, and get Morrison down to the boatshed" Callen replied as he put the car in reverse and started back up the drive

….

By the time that Callen had got back up to the house, he found that it had been set alight. Licks of flame were to be seen inside the building and smoke was billowing though the open front door

Hoping that Eric already knew about the house being on fire, Callen wasted no time calling it in, instead he got up and ran into the burning building.

The smoke was making it very hard to see and breathe, the heat was almost unbearable.. but He kept pushing onwards, hoping to find Arkady.

Eventually he found his friend on the floor, seemingly unconscious.

"Come on you Russian bastard, get up, and don't make me have to carry your drunk ass out of here" He shouted as he tried waking Arkady, before eventually resorting having to carry the Russian out of the building.

Breathing in the smoke made it feel like his throat was burning, as he pushed through the smoke, avoiding the burning walls, just barely managing to drag Arkady behind him

Once he had got them both outside and far enough from the building, Callen lowered himself to the ground and leaned back against the car, trying to catch a breath of fresh air

The next thing he knew, Sam was slapping him

"G... Wake up man"

"Arkady?" Callen croaked, his throat hurting, not helped by his intermittent coughing

"Still alive. Lets get you to the hospital, come on" Sam replied and he pulled Callen up from the ground

"Boatshed. Hospital can wait. You got any water?"

Sam handed him an already opened bottle and helped his ex partner round and into the passenger seat"

….

"She in there?" Callen barked in his still croaky voice, as he walked into the boatshed

"Hetty and Nell are in with her just now" Deeks said

Callen started walking towards the hallway that led to the interrogation room, before Sam grabbed hold of him and pushed him down on a chair

"Just sit there. You can wait for Hetty to finish with her first" Sam, ordered him

Deeks pressed a button, and the video feed from the interrogation room appeared on the screen, just in time to see (and hear) Nell slap the probationary Agent

….

Hetty and Nell walked out of the interrogation room, leaving Ruth sat in the room

Callen didn't know who he should be most afraid of at that moment… Hetty or Nell

"Take your Husband to the hospital, Get him checked over" Hetty instructed Nell, before turning her attention to Sam and Deeks

….

"What was the slap for?" Callen asked as Nell helped him into the car

"No. We're not talking about this until a Doctor's seen you" Nell said, as she pushed Callen into the car

Once Nell walked round and slid into the drivers side, Callen reached over and put his left hand on Nell's right arm

"You angry?" He asked, concerned

"Not at you" Nell replied

"Is it too soon to joke about seeing the bright white light?"

Nell didn't reply, instead she slapped Callen's chest before starting the car engine

"We're married for little over a week, and you're already trying to make me a widow"

Nell knew that she had been scared in the past, whenever Callen got injured on an assignment, or at all for that matter. But this was different… they were married now, they had so many things still to do together… She honestly believed that she wouldn't be able to cope if anything happened to him now… if she was told that he had been killed in the line of duty. 'Just keep it to yourself' she told herself 'Don't let him know how worried you are'

….

Callen lay back on the hospital bed, breathing in the clean oxygen from the mask.

Nell was out in the corridor speaking to the Doctor, hopefully being given good news.

"You're gonna be okay" Nell said and she entered the room "You're able to come home with me tonight"

"Can I take off this mask?" Callen asked, his voice slightly muffled by the plastic mask

"The doctor said you can"

"Where's Arkady?" Callen asked, and he pulled off the mask and got up on his feet

"He's upstairs. Hetty has agents securing him.

"Lets go have a word with him then.."

Callen started out of the room, with Nell following close behind

….

"Arkady! Wake up" Callen said, as he shook the Russian

Arkady opened his eyes, and looked about the room… and started to smile

"You brought my new wife with you!" Arkady barely managed to say legibly

"Not your wife, **my** wife… and she brought me" Callen said, light heartedly, before turning more serious. "What do you remember after I dropped you off?"

"**You** got married. You should have said. Where did you register?"

"Arkady!.. Focus"

"Very little. I went into my office, then all I remember is pain. Then I woke, here"

"That man you mentioned to me, that you were worried about… He was in your house. One of my guys saw him on your security feed"

"Then how am I alive?. If **he** had come for me, I would be dead"

….

The alarm clock was beeping and buzzing, making it impossible to remain asleep.

Callen reached out with his hand and randomly tried hitting where he thought the alarm clock was.. after a few goes, he lifted his head from the pillow and turned to look in the direction of the appliance, before finally managing to hit the cancel button.

With the alarm reset, he lifted a pillow and pulled it down to cover his face, wanting to sleep for just a little longer. Nell however, had other ideas

"Morning" She said, sounding cheery as she walked into the bedroom and placed a mug of coffee on his bedside table

"Too early" he replied, his voice muffled by the pillow

"Come on, Get up. Hetty wants you in early. And I want you to take another shower, you still smell smoky"

"

….

"He lives!"

"Yeah yeah. Real funny, Deeks" Callen replied as he threw his bag under Nell's desk "How is it that only Nell or I seem to get injured?"

"Just the same bad luck, that explains why you're not as graced with my good looks" Deeks, taunted as he walked out of the bullpen

….

"So what?, you want me off this case?"

"No, certainly not. I want you to dig deeper" Hetty explained

"There's only so much I can actually do, while I'm supervising the probie"

"Ms Morrison is no longer your responsibility"

"The hell she isn't!. She messed up, She's gonna learn from her mistake. Once we're finished, you can do whatever the hell you like with her"

"As you wish, Mr Callen. Make use of Mr Hanna's team. I have a feeling you will need the extra support"

"Who has the lead?"

….

Callen walked into the conference room, slamming the door shut behind him.

She had glanced up, when she heard the door open… Seeing who it was, she started mumbling that she was sorry

Callen quickly interrupted her, ignoring the meaningless apologies that the young agent was trying to spout

"Shut up!. You fucked up… disregarded my orders and put the life of an informant at risk. I gave you an order, and I expected you to obey it. You have no idea how lucky you are, that Arkady and I are alive, and are not going to suffer any lasting effects from that fire. OSP is a very small community, You need to be able to trust any other agent you're partnered with… The mistake you made is the sort of thing that can quickly lead you to becoming a pariah" Callen paused briefly, taking just long enough to take a breath and to analyse the young woman's reaction to what he was saying

"Hetty informed me that you're to be transferred out of OSP. I told her that she can do whatever she likes with you… but not until we close this case. You're going to listen to what I say, do what I tell you, and just maybe, we'll make an agent out of you. Be downstairs, and ready to go in 10"

Callen moved to leave the conference room, when something occurred to him

"…oh by the way. I'd suggest that you try not to piss off my wife again. She may be small, but she's ferocious"

Callen walked out of the room, heading for OPS, leaving Ruth to think about what he had told her

….

"Did anyone collect my car, or is it still at Arkady's?"

"Lana went and picked it up this morning. Should be out in the parking lot" Deeks explained, before he turned his attention to the staircase.

Callen turned to see what he was looking at. Finding that it was only Ruth, he turned back to face Kensi and Deeks, and found Deeks playing with his phone

"You're worse than a teenage girl" Kensi pointed out, once she realised what her husband was doing

"What? I just wanted to be ready, so I could video Nell slap her again"

"No one's slapping anyone, other than Kensi slapping you" Callen stated

Seeing Sam walk back towards the bullpen, Callen turned his attention to the ex SEAL

"Hetty speak to you?"

"Yeah"

"I'm not trying to step on anyone's toes, Sam"

"I know. I've no problem with you taking the lead. Means I'm not gonna have the biggest pile of paperwork to do" he joked

….

"Sam, you and Deeks check with any CI's… any sightings or reports of any new players in town trying to pick up explosives or other artillery, feed them back to Eric. Kensi, you and Nell head down to Pendleton, speak with Sergeant Smith, and then speak to the CID agent responsible for the investigation into Corporal Simms' death. See if they missed anything. Probie and I are going to go speak to Arkady, and see if he can remember anything else from before the fire. Take full tactical gear with you, since we don't know what way the day will go. 'Rus' is dangerous, and I want every one of us able to go home tonight"

….

"Marty told me about you slapping Callen's partner… Care to fill me in?"

"Nothing to tell. She wasn't wanting to accept any blame for what happened. She kept making excuse after excuse"

"So you just slapped her?" Kensi asked, still very curious

"No!. I shouted at her that G could have died because she didn't do her job properly, and **then** I slapped her"

"and… ? Come on, Hetty must have said something to you, about your outburst"

"Well…"

….

"Agent Morrison, this is Arkady Kolchek. Ex KGB, Occasional CI and the other man that could have died through your actions" Callen said, completing his introductions "What's the doctor saying?"

"Ah. Says I have to stay here for 6 more nights. Which is probably good, since I have no home to go back to"

"Yeah, yeah. Enough playing the martyr..." Callen smirked "Do you remember anything else from last night?"

"Just as I told you when you asked me last night. Is just pain and then waking up here"

"The fire marshal reported use of an accelerant. Do you remember smelling anything.. maybe gasoline?"

"No, No… well brief memory of smelling... something… maybe Vodka? Brandy?"

"Okay. Look, I've got 2 agents outside that door, no one's getting in unless they are on the approved list" Callen said, pointing at the sole entry/exit to the room "Feel free to supplement my agents with your own guys if you want" Callen continued, as he moved towards the door, indicating that Ruth should follow.

"Can you tell the nurse I'm ready for my sponge bath!" Arkady called out after Callen

….

[…]

"Any response to the BOLO?"

[…]

"Okay Eric, text me the details, and let Bates know what's going on. We may need LAPD support"

Ending the call, Callen place the phone in his jacket pocket, before starting the car and pulling out of the hospital parking lot

"This gonna be your first visit to an evidence garage?" He asked, without glancing at the young agent sitting nervously next to him

"No Sir"

This earner her an quick, irritated glance from Callen

"I mean, Callen. Can I ask… how long you've been doing this?" Ruth asked, sounding still quite nervous

"Driving? Since I was 16." He responded, trying to put her at ease. "But you meant this job. I've been with NCIS for the better part of 10 years, ignoring a brief period where I was dead" this earned him a puzzled look "I've worked in undercover roles since I was 18… NCIS, FBI, CIA, DEA and a couple of others"

"Is it not hard to have any real friendships or relationships, if you're always pretending to be someone else, though?"

"I don't know what they told you before you were assigned to OSP, but yeah, it can be hard… most of us end up having to lie to almost anyone we know. Sometimes we can get approval to be honest with a partner, provided they pass a pretty intensive security check. But as I told you before, OSP is a tight nit community, so you have a group of people that you don't have to lie to, and pretend to be something or someone you're not. That make sense?"

"Yeah, I guess so"

….

"Is this the car you let into Arkady's?"

"Think so, yeah."

"Then put on your gloves. Time to put your education into practice. Look for anything that could tell us where he has been, what his capabilities are, whether he's working alone" Callen instructed before opening the trunk

Opening the rear passenger side door, Ruth leaned into the car, looking for anything that could stand out. Reaching under the seats, she realised that Callen hadn't made any moves away from the trunk.

"Have you found something?" she asked as she continued checking the compartment

"Not actually **found** something, but something troubling nonetheless"

This piqued her interest. Wondering what he had meant, she moved to join him

Standing by his side, and looking into the spotless trunk… she was confused

"I don't see anything"

"What do you smell?"

"…I don't know. Whatever it is, it's quite sweet… maybe fruit?"

"Almonds"

Ruth looked up at him, utterly confused

"What?"

"Something I was taught years ago, and reminded of a few months back when I was working at the.. that doesn't matter.. Military grade explosives have a very distinct chemical smell, whereas commercial grade, or makeshift explosives often emit a….?"

"Sweet smell?" she asked, still confused

"Typically an Almond or Plumb scent. Either he had kept explosives in this trunk, had it full of almonds or had used a fruity smelling air freshener"

"So why abandon the car, why not burn it?"

"Good question… Think about it. He's got to know he's been caught on camera at some point at Arkady's… This guy is a demolitions expert, and instead of blowing up the house, he sets it alight. I would guess that he didn't get a chance to plant his explosives as Arkady returned home earlier than he maybe expected… Instead he knocked him unconscious and set the house alight with what was laying about. Arkady has cases of Vodka and other alcohol he's imported from Russia…"

"So he abandoned the car because he was in a rush? Was seen around the property, couldn't execute his plan… so he just took his stuff and dumped the car. Probably switched to another vehicle he had stashed, or something he stole… but probably not a stolen car because that would eventually attract unwanted attention, right?"

"Sounds about right to me. We may well make an agent out of you yet. Finish checking the car, I need to check in"

….

"Come on…We've got a sighting" Callen shouted as he climbed back into his car

"Right, I'm coming" he heard her groan as she closed the suspect's car before sprinting over to the car

"Have you actually fired your service weapon at a live target?"

"No. But I have done live fire exercise training… with paintballs. I don't know if that counts though"

"It'll have to do. We get where we're going, we split off into teams and clear the building. You follow me, do what I tell you and don't take any stupid risks"

"I'll not screw up again, I swear"

….

"You still trust me, Sam?"

"Always"

"Right then. Here's the plan. Deeks, I want you to go with Kensi and Nell…." Before Callen could say another word they were all distracted by a van that pulled up along side their own cars.

The van hadn't come to a complete stand before the doors opened, and out poured a full tactical team, a man that none of the agents could recognise, followed by Assistant Director Granger

"I figured you could use a few extra hands"

"Never Hurts, Sir" Callen replied, before looking at the mystery man, hoping Granger would offer an introduction as to who he was and what agency he represented

"This is CID Special Agent Hunt. He was the investigating agent on the death of Corporal Simms"

"If I may, Sir. With the utmost respect, I'd like to do this while it's still light out. Sam, Deeks, go with Kensi and Nell, head to the western stairwell. Myself, Morrison, Hunt and the Assistant Director will take the Eastern Stairwell. "4 of us per floor, working from either end till we meet in the middle. Callen then pointed to 3 of the tactical team "You go with Agent Hanna. When I give the signal, Secure the stair well access at ground level, No one other than any of us gets out" Then pointed to the other 3 members of the tactical team "You 3, are with us… again, Secure the eastern stairwell access at ground level, same orders. Any issues or concerns?" Callen continued, as he slipped the radio ear piece into his ear and indicated that Ruth should do the same "No? Okay, then. Let's get started"

….

"Sir, do you and Agent Hunt want to take this floor or the next?"

"We'll take this one, Callen. Try not to do too much damage!"

Callen and Ruth continued up the stairwell to the next level,

"You good?" He asked, noticing that she had been very quiet

"I will be. It's just a bit different doing this for real, instead of using paint rounds or firing at dummies"

"First time is always the worst. Just remember your training, and try not to waste rounds. You ready?"

As soon as she nods her head, Callen opens the door from the stairwell and points to the right hand side of the corridor, while positioning himself to the left hand side.

They start clearing the floor, room by room. Callen making sure to give Ruth enough time to properly clear a room before moving on, after all this would be her first real world experience at clearing a building.

Just after they had cleared the first quarter of the floor, Sam's voice came through the radio, advising shots fire, requesting back up, and advising that Deeks had been shot

"Tactical teams, Move up to secure second floor access point" Callen instructed, as he turned and ran back to the stairwell to go down one floor and back up the rest of his team. Pulling out his phone and dialling while descending the stairs, he instructed Eric to have an ambulance dispatched to the scene.

….

When Callen reached the section that Sam had radioed from, he found Deeks on the ground a trail of blood stretching from one of the doors, Kensi leaning over her husband pressing a torn off section from Sam's shirt against a neck round

Callen looked to Granger for instructions. Were they to catch 'Rus' or stop him by any means?

"If this is Sorin Rus, the CIA are demanding he be handed over to them alive" Granger started "Since we are the ones here, attempting to apprehend him. I don't care whether he is secured dead or alive"

That was what everyone wanted to hear.

Everyone with the exception of Kensi and Deeks, holstered their handgun and lifted their assault rifles, ready to storm into the former class room and end this situation one way or another.

Callen and Sam exchanged a number of hand signals between them as they prepared to burst into the room, stopping only to give instructions to the others seconds before storming through the doorway, weapons drawn and ready to fire…

….

"They can have what's left of him, if he survives" Callen suggested, while watching Nell follow Kensi and the paramedics out to the ambulance

"If he survives, we'll be interrogating him before we even think about handing him over to the CIA" Granger replied

"Excuse me sir. But if he was responsible for the death of Corporal Simms, an active US serviceman, on American soil, would that not classify him as a terrorist?. Suggesting he should be transferred to GITMO as soon as he is fit to be moved?" Ruth asked, still sounding a little shaken from her first live fire situation

….

"Doctors said anything, is Deeks gonna be okay?" Callen asked as him and Sam joined Kensi and Nell in the waiting room

"He's going to be fine. Just a flesh wound according to the Doc. Although if you were to believe Marty, you would think he had been repeatedly shot in the chest" Kensi replied, before thinking about what she had said "…Sorry Callen, I didn't mean…"

"It's okay, Kens. I know what you meant. He being kept in, or…" Callen asked, as he sat down next to Nell and reached out for one of her hands

"They're just putting a dressing over the wound, and then he's free to come home, where he expects a sponge bath"

"Too much information Kens. Hetty has instructed me to inform you that neither of you have to show up to work tomorrow"

Sam and Nell chuckled, finding it amusing that after so many years, Kensi could still make Callen uncomfortable

"I could use your help, if you're up to it" Callen whispered to Nell

….

"Special Agent G Callen needs my help" Nell teased, as they walked down the hospital corridor

"I didn't say I **needed** your help" He countered

"No, you didn't **say** it…. but you do, don't you!"

"Okay Mrs Callen… You're right, I **need** your help"

"What can I do?"

"I need you to speak to my Probie"

"No. I'm not gonna do that"

"Come on, Nell. I know you don't exactly like her, and considering what she did, I can't say I totally blame you. But I need someone to talk to her, someone who can relate to what she's going through, more than say, a forty plus, male Agent"

"Come on G. There has to be someone else, someone more suitable" Nell pleaded

"Yes there are other female agents. But not many in OSP, and even fewer that have been in the field for only a couple of years. I need someone I trust… and there is no one else on this earth that I trust more than you, Nell"

….

Nell looked through the window into the conference room, watching the young probationary agent trying to fill out a stack of forms.

She didn't even want to be here, she didn't even like the girl. Nell knew that she had made mistakes when she became a field agent, small things. But she also knew that she'd had the benefit of watching Callen, Sam, Kensi and Deeks for several years before she became an agent. Years of picking up proper procedure, tips, and additional training, over and above NCIS requirements.

Thing was, that Nell could barely look at Ruth without being reminded that she had put Callen in severe risk. Since Nell and Callen had gotten together, she had watched Callen be shot, poisoned, and almost tortured, only for him to be put in a situation where he could have been burned alive. To say nothing of having him be reported as dead.

Nell knew that despite what had happened, Callen saw something in Ruth, something that now made him believe that she could be a good agent, if given the right training and a patient training agent.

Damn him and his beautiful blue eyes. At times, Nell almost believed that she would do just about anything that he asked, so long as she looked into those deep blue pools that she could find herself getting lost in.

'It's now or ever' Nell told herself as he pushed the door open…

….

"Special Agent Jones. I'm sorry, do you need me to leave the room?"

"No, and it's Special Agent Callen. But you can call me Nell" Nell paused, wondering if she should be formal, or casual in what she had to say "Callen asked for me to talk to you. He thought that maybe it would help to speak to another female agent about what happened today"

"There's nothing to talk about" Ruth replied, timidly

"That was your first fire fight. The first time you've really seen a fellow agent shot. The first time that you were put in a situation where you stood a chance of not walking out of it, right?"

"… Well, when you put it like that…"

"Look. The first time I killed someone. I… well, I didn't cope all that well. I almost resigned. That didn't happen to you today. But eventually it will happen. These things are part of this job, so you need to find a way to cope. Find support in your colleagues, or from agency psychologists. I heard what you said about G, yesterday. And yes, he can be a pain in the ass, you will probably want to slap him … but he knows this job. He knows what skills an agent needs. And he knows if someone has potential.

He trained Kensi, and now she is one of the top agents assigned to OSP"

"I know all that, and I appreciate you talking to me. But I don't know if I honestly believe that I can handle this. Being here, doing what we did today…"

"Just think about it, okay?. OSP has some of the best Agents in the agency. The simple fact that you've come this far, says volumes about your capabilities."

….

"Well?"

"Do you honestly believe she has what it takes?"

"With the proper motivation, I do"

"I love you G Callen, You know that right?"

"I do, and I love you too. Although I still don't know what I did to deserve you, though"

"We're not talking about this again G. Now, how about we grab some take out, and go home…"


End file.
